


Home is...

by tauri



Category: Hidamari Sketch
Genre: Community: fandomweekly, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-22
Updated: 2016-02-22
Packaged: 2018-05-22 16:11:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6086239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tauri/pseuds/tauri
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hiro moves in with Sae.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Home is...

**Author's Note:**

> For challenge #003 at fandomweekly, 'Domestic Bliss'.

In theory, it shouldn't have been anything different. In all of her thoughts on the matter, Sae hadn't really considered that this would ever feel like a _thing_. Their days of student apartment living were behind them, although they'd always treasure those happy memories - the cosy nature of the Hidamari Apartments had had them practically living together to begin with, so Sae wasn't sure why she'd felt so embarrassed about asking Hiro to live with her - or why she felt so nervous when Hiro had _accepted_.

As usual, Hiro had simply smiled at her. Sae was constantly amazed at how patient Hiro was; even now that they were _together_ \- a couple! - Sae found her feelings difficult to express. They'd spent so much time together in the past, so why was _this_ different? They'd almost been living together (so close as to not make a difference) before, so why was _this_ such a new and strange thing? If nothing else, it made financial sense to do this. Two people living together meant two people contributing towards the living expenses...

Hiro had moved her things across and they'd stood in her new room amongst the boxes, unsure quite what to say to one another all of a sudden. Hiro had gone straight to the boxes, because the longer they left the unpacking, the longer that chore would still be weighing upon them. And that gave Sae something to concentrate on and help with, and so they'd spent most of the rest of that day sorting out belongings and giving Hiro's things a new place to belong.

Sae had a deadline coming up, but it wasn't imminent, so she wasn't setting alarms just yet. Hiro had gone to bed early, and Sae hadn't been able to sleep. She didn't notice when she dropped off, but she did realise, on waking, that she did so to the scent of cooking from the kitchen. Still groggy from her haphazard sleeping schedule, she wandered through to the kitchen to find Hiro present and cooking, as if she'd always been there. It almost felt ridiculous to think that, after everything, Hiro would _still be there_ , still happy to do those things, still cooking breakfast (lunch?) with her usual easygoing smile.

She noticed Sae staring, and that smile only brightened. "Oh, Sae! Good morning. Did you sleep well?"

"I, uh... I should be asking you that, shouldn't I? Sleeping for the first time in a new place..."

Hiro reduced the heat and moved the plates closer for easy serving. "It's your home, right? So, of _course_ I'd sleep well. Being under the same roof as Sae... why would that ever be uncomfortable?"

Sae scratched the back of her neck, going over to the sofa opposite the kitchen space. "That's not quite right."

"Eh?"

"It's not _my_ home. It's _our_ home. Right?"

"Oh!" Hiro feigned surprise, as if she'd really forgotten. "You're absolutely right...!"

"... You don't have to do that, you know. You're still settling in. I can take care of that--"

"No, no, it's fine...! You were just as busy helping me out, after all. The least I can do is to cook our breakfast...!"

"Well... if you're sure. But you don't have to do that all the time, okay? Let me do some of that, sometimes."

"You like to feel useful, don't you?"

Sae felt that familiar blush overtake her face. "It--... it's just being fair, that's all--! What sort of person would I be if I left all that stuff to you?!"

"Hm, I suppose you're right. Well then, I look forward to tasting Sae's home-cooked breakfast one of these days...!"

They kept their rooms separate, but Sae couldn't resist the urge, sometimes, to follow Hiro to her bed. Similarly, Sae would sometimes wake up from her accidental naps to find Hiro still asleep, head leant on her shoulder and seemingly without a care in the world. They could keep their own space, but they could still share each other's space too, when they felt like it. They tried to split the chores equally, although Sae found Hiro cooking more often than not. Sometimes, in the morning, Sae would even find herself presented with the morning newspaper.

"... What's this?"

Another smile. "It's what couples do, isn't it? The husband reading the paper over breakfast..."

"Who said I was the husband?!"

Hiro took the paper back. "Well, I'll read it, then! It doesn't hurt to keep up with current affairs..."

(They ended up reading the paper together, Sae leant over Hiro's shoulder.)

Breakfast provided a familiar setting that made it easy to talk together like they always had done. Sae hadn't been at the apartment for too long herself, but she already felt that she could relax that little bit more for Hiro's presence beside her. Thinking on it further, that concept almost seemed amazing - during their time in education it had been so easy to think of everything in neat blocks of time; elementary school led into junior high, led into high school, led into university, led into - _this_. This expanse of time with no set markers, this space in which they were no longer bound by educational structures. The thought of _we can do anything_ was almost overwhelming; _we can do anything, and so here we are, living together_.

_Hiro could be anywhere, but she's here, with me._

_We could be anywhere, but we're here together._

Over breakfast, over the morning paper, _beyond that_. That enormity felt hard to grasp, but Sae didn't mind floundering so long as she could find her feet alongside Hiro.


End file.
